Brit with ‘Taiwan’ head tattoo beaten by Chinese gang

A BRITISH man with the word ‘Taiwan’ tattooed on his forehead has been badly beaten up by a gang of Chinese men who objected to the use of the word.

Paul Farrell, who has lived in Taiwan for 14 years and is a naturalised citizen after marrying a local woman, was attacked while on holiday in Cambodia.

He was set upon in the southern city of Sihanoukville during an argument with the Chinese men who took exception to the word ‘Taiwan’ in traditional Chinese characters tattooed on his forehead.

Many on mainland China believe that Taiwan is part of the People’s Republic of China rather than a country in its own right. Mr Farrell said he had gone into a bar on Saturday and ordered a drink, taking off his hat – revealing his tattoo as he did so. A large group of Chinese men, shouted in Mandarin: ‘Taiwan – China!’

Mr Farrell made the mistake of replying: ‘Taiwan-Taiwan!’ He said: ‘They went insane, grabbed poles and started attacking me.’ He added that he had had four laser treatments on his face, so most of an image of a flag on his chin was gone but he needed more work on his forehead.